I don't know if you read the forums at T-mag, but there has been a small war going on regarding the use of swiss balls, or even the use of "balance training" in general. The old guard there seem to consider it completely useless. I use it to a degree... maybe 10-15% of my workouts will involve some sort of balance work. Coach Staley just came right out can called it bogus. Tudor Bompa thinks it is circus tricks. Then you have the John Davies', Paul Cheks, and Mark Verstegans out there there who swear by them.
I am personally convinced that it is not only beneficial, but essential for an all-around good strength program. I must admit though, with all this debate, I am starting to second guess myself. I know that you do golf conditioning, and you obviously know training protocols for various sports. Do you use balance training, particularly stability balls in your programs? Either way you answer, why? I am going to play the Devil's Advocate here and try to debunk SB training.
I like to incorporate swissballs in my clients workouts to give them a little variety. I especially like to use the Bosu stability ball with my older clients to work on their balance. I do drills with them such as walking in place, jogging in place, standing on top of the ball with thier eyes closed, and one leg balancing. You would be surprised how these few techniques help them out in their everyday activites.
I agree that they are useful, but I am more concerned with their application in strength training for athletes.
I squat on a ball, and many of the guys said that they can't see any sport-specific reason to do that. They claim that you don't play on a swiss ball so why even try? Using their same logic though, you don't bench press out on a football field.
Especially when you're talking about sports training, the goal of supplementary training should be to enhance those motor abilities to improve performance that cannot be enhanced simply by performance of the activity in question.
For instance, do I have my golfers do balance training? Yes. How do I do it? By having them play golf. Period. There is no exercise or activity other than playing golf that has the same demands as playing golf.
Training on an unstable surface relies primarily on feedback mechanisms. Sporting activities, especially fast, explosive activities rely more heavily on feedforward mechanisms because there is insufficient time for reaction to feedback (ever see a weightlifter try to recover a maximum snatch? It doesn't happen too often and it ain't pretty). In other words, a mental picture of how you will perform the task (a golf swing, a baseball pitch, a clean and jerk).
The only way to develop those feedforward mechanisms is to develop the skill itself by performing it.
Balance is not an ability in and of itself but a complex integration of many senses and experience. It is also very specific to the task in question because of that.
Let's go back to my golfer. Suppose I had my golfer do all sorts of variations of swings on dyna-disks, wobble boards, and swiss balls, but never let him swing on a stable surface. If you believe the argument that unstable training makes you more stable on stable surfaces, the golfer should show a measureable improvement in balance in his swing. Does he? Nope. In fact, it's worse. Too much feedback interupting feedforward.
Now have him swing only on stable surfaces. Does his balance improve, of course it does. Why? Because you don't play golf on an unstable surface (California excluded ).
Have you ever been on a cruise ship or even a smaller sail boat? The first day or so it takes a while for you to get used to pitch and roll of the deck, right? Unstable surface training 24 hours a day. What happens when you get off the boat? You have to adjust back to being on a stable surface...sea legs, get it? It made you unstable on a stable surface.
Top 10 Reasons to use a swiss ball more that some other training means:
1. They're fun at the beach
2. They're great for inversion games with kids (kids love to be upside-down)
3. They come in some pretty colors and dress up a gym nicely
4. There are some rehab exercises that they are good for (in my therapy practice I use a swiss ball about once every 3 or 4 months)
5. They may improve exercise compliance for those who are more attracted to gimmicks and gadgets rather than strong program design.
6. They can reduce strength and power output in those athletes who no longer desire to get stronger or more powerful.
7. Handy for supported lateral flexion stretching
8. You couldn't spring for a decent bench cause you only had $55 to spare.
9. You job requires that you perform activities on a swiss ball
10. You want to earn more money by marketing swiss ball training videos to your clients and unsuspecting trainers who are hungry to keep up with the "latest" technology in the training realm. (By the way, I own several tapes myself...don't use 'em but I own em)
I would suggest you get away from the personal training and fitness Gurus and make some contact with some strength coaches involved in training our olympic athletes (think USAweightlifing.org) and read up on coaches who work at the higher levels. You will find that they don't rely on any gimmicks. Just outstanding, tried and tested program design.
Doing squats on a swissball is all about balance, i don't see how one could actually squat a fair amount of weight on a swissball, that said, football players are about speed and power, so I would think that squatting on a stable surface and doing a lot of weight at a explosive speed is what really going to help them on the field.
You are correct that you don't bench press on a football field BUT you do apply the various forms of strength (maximal strength, speed-strength, strength-speed)on the field that bench pressing variations can improve.
Supplementary training should not attempt to train the skill, but rather the motor abilities that underlie the skill with the most effective and efficient means possible to allow an athlete to focus on improving skill on the field.
Bill, do you see any application of swiss ball work in grapplers, rock climbers, mountain bikers, or hocky players? It seems that you have to have extremely good center of gravity and great reflexes to do controlled exercises while balancing on a ball. It seems that it would train ones "righting reflex", for example, for rock climbing.
Using strictly anecdotal support for my theory as an example, I used to get real bad "elvis leg" when I would rock climb, and after working the ball for a while and learning to control the shake descending into a squat, I learned through concentration to focus on that factor and correct it. Of course, the best training for climbing, as it is with any sport, is to climb. But it is hard to get out and climb every day. (these days I am lucky to get out even once a month, thanks to having kids).
It seems like it would have some application with off season hockey players. I am assuming from your initial reaction that you do not. Can you explain your understanding of why this is not helpful?
Lastly, I can not bench press at all. In fact, using a bench is hell on my shoulders. I do get a great chest workout using a ball as a bench however. This is not a question, but simply stating that from a rehab standpoint, the ball provides the only ability for me to do any chest pressing motions at all.
Well, one more thing. I really have FUN doing really challenging balancing exercises on the ball. I may not have relavence in training others, but I have been working out in the gym for since I was 15 (jeez... 20 years!), and I get really bored. It is like finding a new unexplored country. So I can surmise from your response so far that "proprioception" has no value in training athletes.
Okay, lay it on me Bill. Be gentle, I am having a pardigm shift here. [img]smile.gif[/img]
However, getting on a ball or wobble board or indo board or bongo board (what's with the boards?) will improve proprioception for those activities.
Want to be a better rock climber?
Try high step ups, wide stance squats, chins 'til the cows come home, and grip work. Oh, and rock climb!
Mountain biking? Front squats, explosive step ups, Incline hip flexion (if you wear toe clips), and stretch the hell our of you hip flexors, adductors, and tensor fascia latae. oh, and ride your mountain bike. Also a very strong visual component to riding a mountain bike!
Originally posted by Jean-Paul: Bill, do you see any application of swiss ball work in grapplers, rock climbers, mountain bikers, or hocky players? It seems that you have to have extremely good center of gravity and great reflexes to do controlled exercises while balancing on a ball. It seems that it would train ones "righting reflex", for example, for rock climbing.
******Grapplers need to train almost all variations of strength (explosive for throws, isometric for holds, etc.) and strength endurance. Imperfection training and perturbation training (trying to push and pull them outside of their base of support like a judo match) also contribute to improved performance and improved stability. Swiss ball relevance: none.
******Land based training for hockey players is not about improving skating skills. For that you must skate. You can however train relavent musculature in the proper energy systems (ATP-CP and glycolytic) and work on power/strength/injury prevention issues. FYI those cute slip and slide thingys that you can slide from side to side on can be hard on the lateral knee structures AND it's not like skating either. I would prefer hockey players to do more sled dragging due to the stronger propulsive phase. Swiss ball relevance: none
******The reflexes will be developed by skating, skating into another body, skating into the boards, and vision. I think the thing that most trainers don't understand when it comes to balance and agility specificity is that most agility in game situations at higher performance levels is based on visual cues and feedforward mechanisms, not specific, repetitive foot patterns such as those taught in rope ladder drills.
Using strictly anecdotal support for my theory as an example, I used to get real bad "elvis leg" when I would rock climb, and after working the ball for a while and learning to control the shake descending into a squat, I learned through concentration to focus on that factor and correct it. Of course, the best training for climbing, as it is with any sport, is to climb. But it is hard to get out and climb every day. (these days I am lucky to get out even once a month, thanks to having kids).
****unfortunately, you're right it is anecdotal. The question then becomes was it the swiss ball squats or something else. Perhaps it was a matter of simple concentration rather than some influence from the swiss ball. Also consider the motor learning involved in the skill. You could have just gotten better at your skill. "Elvis-leg" is simply non-functional muscle tension. As the body becomes more energy efficient in a skill and it refines recruitment patterns turning on relevant muscles and reducing the influence of those which interfere with the skill.
It seems like it would have some application with off season hockey players. I am assuming from your initial reaction that you do not. Can you explain your understanding of why this is not helpful?
Lastly, I can not bench press at all. In fact, using a bench is hell on my shoulders. I do get a great chest workout using a ball as a bench however. This is not a question, but simply stating that from a rehab standpoint, the ball provides the only ability for me to do any chest pressing motions at all.
*****Just about any strength exercise on the ball will require a reduction in force output from the relevant muscles. Less force output less stress on joint structures. If you experience less pain, then I say keep doing it. You may also want to experiment with inclination angles on a bench and the position of the humerus relative to the body.
Well, one more thing. I really have FUN doing really challenging balancing exercises on the ball. I may not have relavence in training others, but I have been working out in the gym for since I was 15 (jeez... 20 years!), and I get really bored. It is like finding a new unexplored country. So I can surmise from your response so far that "proprioception" has no value in training athletes.
******If you enjoy swiss ball exercises, do them. Part of training is about compliance and just getting your ass in the gym. Just don't expect swiss balls to have any significant advantages over other forms of training. Ya know, I've mentioned before that I have a swiss ball (even bought it from Chek - yes, I had a Chek phase at one time, but I got over it)and have used it for the occasional swiss ball crunch or lateral flexion stretch or to rest on between sets cause someone is sitting on my bench. There are many tools at our disposal, some are great and some not so great.
*****The more I learn about this stuff the more I realize that when it comes to performance training, there are just better choices which are usually related to the basics (appropriate strength training, flexibility, and energy system training) and then just performing your skills with proper coaching.
*****Pilates, yoga, swiss balls, wobble boards, etc. have been around for 50 some years or more. They were used sparingly in very rare situations simply because they have very limited use and influence on training. It was only when fitness training became a marketable, money-making venture did they come into popularity because they were "new" again and could be sold with a high mark up.
Okay, lay it on me Bill. Be gentle, I am having a pardigm shift here. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Okay, now I am going to explain the logic I use for training myself using a ball, outside of the sheer fun factor.
As I may have mentioned, I have been riddled with injuries, mostly from weightlifting stupidly as a young man. I have now come to the conclusion that part of my personal problem is that my strength may have been out of balance in many ways. For starters, I focused on lifting heavy, and even though I was lifting free weights, my workouts would be very targetted and isolated to one part. I used to use belts, knee wraps, all the parafernalia.
The one thing I like about the ball is the fact that I can't haul up as much weight because I have to focus a bit more on balance. On my shoulders for example... If I do them while stable I can haul a lot of weight, but my joints are no longer so forgiving to me, so I have to significantly lighten my load. Only problem is that I don't feel like I get a good workout. Enter - the ball. The same weight that would have been too light to get an effective workout now feels like plenty of weight, and I feel like I am involving not just the target area, but a lot of extra muscle that used to never be involved with the lift.
Here is an example of a shoulder exercise that I can safely do without killing my shoulder joints:
Alternating DB shoulder press, seated on a ball.
Josh Davis CSCS (aka Master Trainer on this board)
I have a hamstring exercise that I do on the ball too:
We do these after doing glute-ham raises or goodmornings. I call it swissball hip thrust scissor kicks. The guy in the photo is my workout partner, Mark.
Bottom of the motion
Top of the motion... Push heal into ball while keeping the leg in a 90 degree angle and thrusting hip up till body is straight.
MAN these hurt! I do these off a bench too. It is a great finisher.
I must note here that I actually do traditional lifts. For the most part I use the ball for abs, and I sub it for a bench on chest motions. I reserve my experimental stuff for myself since I don't want any clients getting hurt.
For wrestlers I think it would have some value, but not all the exercises. I just remember that outside of doing round robins, a lot of the things that we did were various drills to improve our center of gravity and speed up our reflexes. We did a lot of spin drills and neck-strengthening balance drills. Of course, we did a lot of take down drills and reversal drills too. Point is, we drilled so much that our responses became automatic. We feel the opponent shift one way underneath us, we counter that move to keep control, and take care not to overextend ourselves. We did not have physioballs back then, but I imagine that there might be some application.
Maybe it was the ball work, or maybe I am just really naturally coordinated, but a couple of years ago I tried water skiing for the first time. I got up the very first time with little instruction, and even went on to learn slolomn and barefoot (barefoot skied off a boom with a short line, didn't try long line yet). It felt like my body was prepared to adapt very quickly, making skiing fairly easy for me to pick up. From what I gathered from others, it is unusual to get up that quickly the first time. Am I assuming too much to presume that my ball work helped me in that situation?
One thing that you say that makes total sense is the feedforward mechanism argument. From the things you are saying, when working with athletes like hockey players and football players, it makes sense that the ball has little value.
On the recommended exercises you listed for rock climbing and mountain biking, I currently do those as well (except I don't stretch myself as much as I should, like I stretch my clients -- Dr's are the worst patients, eh?).
Thanks for taking so much time on this topic. I am really pleased that you are a contributing member of this forum as well.
Off to bed with me! It's late.
[img]smile.gif[/img]
Athletes lift too much. I’ve always thought that. To me, sport is about movement and the integration of various physical attributes into fluid and harmonious motion. I don’t see how ‘conventional’ styles of lifting achieve that. I’m not talking about the great exercises Bill was referring to, but do you know how many professional and college strength training programs are FILLED with bodybuilding basics?
Bill is making a great point however, when he states that to get better at a sport - play the sport. That would nullify my argument that sport is about movement and motion and that lifting doesn’t support that thoroughly. Here’s my point though -
It is widely accepted that when training young athletes, you must incorporate as much athletic stimulus as possible into there training (playing). The premise behind this is that the central nervous system is like a sponge - the more you throw at it the ‘better’ it gets athletically. When you are training the components of balance for example, you create as many balance-oriented games as possible - one foot, two feet, eyes closed, starting on the belly, starting on the back, on unstable surfaces (at least I do!), responding to visual cues, responding to auditory cues etc.
To me, balance is a skill. The more ‘balance skill’ the athlete possess, the more potential they have at applying it to a sporting situation.
First, "convential lifting" should be directed at motor abilities such as the various types of strength (absolute, relative, strength-endurance, flexibility-strength, etc.), power, rate of force development, etc. as they apply specifically to the skill/task/sport in question. It may contribute appropriately to structural development (hypertrophy) only if it will enhance performance (consider senarios like a 250 pound lineman vs. 300 pound lineman). Blame the popular magazines (everyones first influence in the strength training game) for the overdependence on bodybuilding methodologies.
Let me use an example from my own personal experience (I'll try not to bore you). I am a retired javelin thrower. Early on I had tremendous success (national competition) doing primarily explosive training and basic strength training and mostly "chuckin' the spear". I got sidetracked into the dark and mystical world of the almighty most muscular pose and double biceps and saw horrible changes in muscle balance/dynamic flexibility (as related to throwing) as well as reduced power output (i.e., piss poor distance) and lousy technique (i.e., lack of practice). Moral to the story: non-specificity in training method for throwing and lack of specific skill training (but I looked damn good!).
I totally agree that kids need exposure to as wide a variety of movement experience as possible especially in the pre-teen period. The more neural pathways and motor pattern they can create and experience the better. The best athletes in the world rarely started out as single sport athletes. That's where parents make the mistake, I think. They end up pigeon-holing (sp?) their kid into one sport hoping for a Tiger Woods when they need to let the kid play more tag, climb rocks, karate kick the dog, play hopscotch, throw a baseball, shoot baskets, and chase girls (or boys as the case may be). Then let them find their niche and pursue it specifically, sign a multi-year deal for 10.4 million bucks,and buy Mom and Dad a house.
Your sponge analogy is dead on. Sell the Nintendo and X-box and buy a football and a hockey stick (and maybe a cup?).
Various types of balance abilities are components of specific skills. For kids, variety is definitely a key. For older, single-sport athletes, specificity is the key. Don't waste their valuable time (it is very limited as skill training should always predominate) trying develop motor abilities in ways that don't apply to their chosen sport. Doing so may actually interrupt specific motor patterns and negatively transfer to skill application. The more accomplished an athlete is, the more specific his/her training must be to improve.
To use my golfers as examples. The golf swing has very specific demands of high levels of dynamic flexibility, speed-strength, and strength endurance. It also requires static and dynamic balance as those abilities are applied to a golf swing while standing on a stable surface. Training on an unstable surface during a golf swing alters weight tranfer, confuses feedforward mechanisms, alters static and dynamic posture, and reduces power output. If any of those influences carries over to their skill in the golf swing or alters a finely programmed swing, I am out of a job because I just made my golfer worse. Playing the game with the right tools (dynamic flexibility, strength, etc.) and proper instruction and practice to develop the skill takes care of the rest.
What you are saying makes TOTAL sense. But what about the theories that I metioned in my last post? Still want to hear what you have to say on that. As you can see, this topic vexes me.
Sorry JP, I got carried away with Brian's great post.
Okay...My thoughts
Exercises on a swiss ball such as your shoulder press example certainly create an unstable foundation and a mental distraction which will reduce the force which you can apply to the exercise. Less force, less joint stress. Is it harder to do? Yes. Do you gain anything at the muscular level? Doubt it other than perhaps more peripheral fatigue because the load on the shoulders, in this case, is related to the loading parameters (sets, reps, weight) not the instability. In fact, if the load is reduced below the threshold level at which neuromuscular changes take place (due to too much instability), you could be getting weaker and/or smaller.
You really answered your own question with the wrestling thing. Your reflexes and reactions were specific to the needs of wrestling. so you trained by wrestling. You would gain nothing by doing swiss ball exercises. Do some swiss ball exercises require the use of reflexes, visual cues, feedback, feedforward? Yes. But the application of those reflexes is not specific to wrestling. In other words, no transfer. Of course, you can use them for some ab exercises and some basic strength training for variation. But again, it's not necessary nor is it better.
Water skiing. I got up first time too. My instructions were "whatever you do don't stand up". Of course, I tried not to stand but I just got up. Very sneaky on their part. I didn't know swiss balls existed at the time. Everyone has specific levels of abilities. Some people run faster, jump higher, multiply 6 digit numbers in their heads. You obviously have a very adaptable nervous system (a great gift to pass on to your kids!)and you probably also have some decent strength levels. My guess is that you are also very proficient in a number of athletic endeavors (rock climbing and mountain biking included). The first time I picked up a javelin, I threw it well (just like Micheal Landon and Terry Bradshaw)after watching my brother do it. Most folks don't. There could be any number of influences from any number of inherant abilities relating to a level of performance.
I like your hamstring exercise. Want to take it to the next level? When you are approaching the end of your set, stabilize the ball. You'll be able to increase neural drive to the hip extensors and crank out a few more reps.
When it comes to swiss ball application consider this. How do the top Olympic athletes train?
Did I stimulate some thought or thoroughly confuse? I apologize if I'm not very clear...very tired tonite.
I this is a great topic and it should be debated. Do I incorprate "balance training" in my work-outs. Yes I do. And do I do it for all my clients no. Certin athletes, yes.
Which ones are they I found that balance training helps people w/ imbalances. For example a hockey player that feels his left hip is more dominate then the right. Here balance training could correct this imbalance. for example when he squats on a wobble board or does a wobble board leg press, he feels that both hips are working together.
I think this is where "balance training" is key and unlocks its powers. Not so much the carry over from training on a unstable surface to a stable surface. I think that all of us whether we are a althete or not have imbalances in our muscles.
__________________
In Health,
Silas S Chen Exercise Specialist @ MorganStanely Fitness Center Mid-town NYC
Originally posted by fitone: I think that all of us whether we are a althete or not have imbalances in our muscles.
You are 100% correct!
However (c'mon you knew I just couldn't agree)
Not all "imbalances" or asymmetry is dysfunctional. If fact, some may actually improve performance because they are adaptations to the chosen sport. A right handed pitcher typically shows a great deal of hyperflexibility/hypermobility in the right shoulder and scapular region compared to left. It's an adaptation of his activities.
Your hockey player may have simply adapted to something specific in his style of play or experienced some repetitive strain.
It is certainly your call as to whether it interfered with performance and should be corrected on some level.
My concern with using a wobble board for the squat or leg press is that you can't be certain of the strategy your athlete uses to maintain equal force on the board to keep it level. If he has an imbalance of some kind, is it due to differences in force production, dynamic flexibility, altered joint structures, injury, etc. Balance of the board does not assure equal recruitment of involved musculature or joint angles bilaterally. So while he may be balanced, the imbalance is not necessarily corrected.
Perhaps it's my therapy backround, but when I see things like this that interfere with performance, I tend to go looking for something specific in the soft-tissues. If your not trained to assess soft-tissues, unilateral testing (single leg broad jump, single leg vertical jump, unilateral squat, comparative flexibility testing) will oftentimes show something.
Now don't think that balance is a non-issue with me. I just think that a great deal of "balance training" is done by playing the sport. Most lack of balance is due to technique issues related to sports-sports activities. That's where good coaching comes in. Also consider that any overhead lift requires balance as does multi-directional lunging (altered base of support), step-up (single-leg stance), overhead squat (core, scapular, and peripheral stability), woodchop (transverse plane stability).
Another thing that just popped into my head about wobbles. They can inhibit the natural stepping reflex which athletes use to maintain dynamic balance in sporting situations. Delay of the protective or accelerative step can mean the difference between scoring a goal and face-plant.
First of all, coming from an athletic background and a believer in the tried and true original methods of periodization, and consequently strenght training - I can't agree with you more as far as the negative relationship that ample of amounts of swiss ball training can have on sport performance. In my mind there is no such thing as a sport specific swiss ball exercise because no ball exercise can ever rival the positive effects of any of the PRIMARY lifts that form the base of a good periodization program.
Having said that. Outside of the realm of sport specific training. Considering exercising populations at the novice level or post athletic competition - a category of lifters who I have noticed often complain of chronic joint pain and altered ranges of motion directly related to improper lifting or years of overtraining. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SWISS BALL TRAINING MIGHT PROVIDE A BETTER OPTION FOR WEIGHT RESISTANCE EXERCISES, because of the use of less resistance vs. using traditional lifts that might cause pain because of the use of heavier weights to achieve the same perceived muscular stimulation.
My question comes partly because my past experiences with injury. Due to two consecutive shoulder surgeries (Rt. and Lt. labrum tears and excessively stretched shoulder capsules) I have different ranges of motion in both shoulders ( about 15-20 degrees difference in exerternal rotation). This makes bench pressing on a regular flat bench difficult for me. I believe my altered ROM in both shoulders cause my scapulas to protract and retract at different angles during the press. While lying on an immovable flat bench I fear that causes unbalance in force production through my shoulder joints causing compensation of one arm over the other which would account for the chronic pain I receive after regular bench pressing.
I have however noticed that when bench pressing on a swiss ball, my scapulas are allowed more of an independent range of motion due to the soft, somewhat molding surface of the swiss ball. This seems to alleviate the pain I have while doing the full range of motion of a bench press. Not only that but to my surprise my strength has not only increased marketedly in that the swiss ball barbell bench press, but so has my 3 to 5 maxRM in board presses, and other secondary movements involving the same musculature. All with no shoulder pain while maintaing solid lifting form.
With your knowledge on the subject any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Originally posted by Master Trainer: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SWISS BALL TRAINING MIGHT PROVIDE A BETTER OPTION FOR WEIGHT RESISTANCE EXERCISES, because of the use of less resistance vs. using traditional lifts that might cause pain because of the use of heavier weights to achieve the same perceived muscular stimulation.
I have however noticed that when bench pressing on a swiss ball, my scapulas are allowed more of an independent range of motion due to the soft, somewhat molding surface of the swiss ball. This seems to alleviate the pain I have while doing the full range of motion of a bench press. Not only that but to my surprise my strength has not only increased marketedly in that the swiss ball barbell bench press, but so has my 3 to 5 maxRM in board presses, and other secondary movements involving the same musculature. All with no shoulder pain while maintaing solid lifting form.
First,if it doesn't hurt, keep doing it!
Now...I wouldn't say the ball is always a better option, but I would say it's an option. You probably have already noticed that certain pathways of motion are more comfortable than others. Same principle. Experiment, find out what will work for you, what allows you to train, keep doing it (be sure to periodize your loads and vary exercises as able).
Rehab/Prehab is a whole different ball game than sports training.
As far as your shoulder range of motion, I can only guess what's going on without an exam and some observation of your training. If you had a labral repair, did they tighten your capsule as well? How long between time of injury and surgeries? With a torn labrum, you can get excessive posterior mobilization of the shoulder joint under load which can wear the cartilage off the posterior aspect of your humeral head. The arthritis can develop pretty quickly and cause some osteophyte development which may also restrict movement.
Either way, have you had some ART done? The subscap, pec major, teres major and lats will restrict external rotation and cause impingement symptoms, popping shoulder, etc. If your infraspinatus is overused (from trying to stabilize), you may also have some inhibition there which can limit your ER.
Because the ball is not as restrictive as a bench you may be correct about the freedom of movement of your scapulae. Also depending on how full your ball is, the compression may limit the horizontal adduction of the shoulders preventing you from working into the painfree range. Hard to say without seeing it happen. (Have someone check the position of your scapulae in standing by locating the inferior angle - the pointy part at the bottom [don't mean to insult,just don't know your backround]. If one is closer to the spine, it has greater downward rotation which may indicate some muscle shortening that can be corrected)
Since you mentioned board presses, are you using full range of motion for your other pressing motions? I'm wondering if Floor Presses would give you a similar protection against excessive ROM but provide a more stable pressing foundation from an overload perspective. I'll experiment for you (I've have similar problems but found inclined DB variations much to my liking).
Dumbbells will also promote higher recruitment of stabilizing force with a lower mechanical advantage. So again, load will be limited but it may provide some variation (I'm sure you've already tried that). They also provide a little more variation in humeral position relative to the body. Some times less abduction feels better (does for me).
Sorry, I can't be more specific. It's difficult to provide any useful suggestions this way. Experiment a little and let me know how it goes.
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